Hear hear, D.M. Quite.
Have a listen to Stephen Preston and Lisa Beznosiuk playing Kohlert’s Valse des Fleurs on 8-key flutes on the old Preston’s Pocket album of music for two flutes through the ages (amongst other gems thereon). I believe Brian Berryman is another player of 8-key (and ITM) who explores the Classical repertory, and although most of the classically trained period instrument players concentrate on Baroque and Classical period music, 1 to 4-key instruments, there is a demand for 8-key use in the later Classical and early Romantic repertory and I believe there are players out there who supply that demand - the period instrument/historically informed performance brigade have been looking at C19th music since the late 1980s!
It’s a bee in my bonnet, I know, but it sometimes needs re-stating: the “simple system flute”, i.e. the 8-key “concert” flute, was originally an orchestral, classical instrument and fully used as such, the last professional players upon it ending their careers as late as the 1920s! It is/was NOT “the Irish flute”. By whatever socio-economic mechanism, it trickled down/got hungover as the mainstay of traditional music flute playing in Ireland from the mid C19th as the orchestral world gradually moved on. Remember, however, the general huge popularity of the flute as an amateur’s instrument throughout Britain right through the C18th and C19th - hence the large supply of low-middling quality “dilettante” 1-8 key instruments.
The modern keyless or randomly “custom-keyed” conoid bodied flute built especially for modern ITM by current makers based on period models is essentially a new development (sure, its just a variant manifestation of something ancient - as is the Boehm flute) that has not previously existed in quite that form in the developmental typology of the transverse flute (they may look rather like Renaissance or Baroque flutes, but are actually rather different in design parameters and performance).
The title “simple system” really belongs ONLY to 4-8 key flutes of late C18th to late C19th design (and copies thereof). Modern keyless flutes should not really be called by that title and may perhaps legitimately be termed “Irish” flutes as they have been developed specifically to supply the modern ITM market, whereas genuine antique simple system flutes should not really be termed “Irish” as they were not designed or sold for that use, but rather for classical music, and very few of them were ever made in Ireland.
ITM on the flute developed (presumably from pipes and whistle playing as well as Baroque style flutes) on the 8-key flute, regardless of whether the keys were much used, and again, I think modern players of keyless flutes tend to be rather rejectionist about that fact and not to recognise that their (certainly lovely and very usable) instruments are a modern development that is to some extent redefining the modern playing of ITM on the flute.
I can’t do it myself, not having the classical training or the persistence and commitment to practice and technical development required, but playing advanced classical repertory on the 8-keyed flute is certainly possible, though doubtless there are works written specifically for capacities of the Boehm flute that the 8-keyer, however virtuosic its player, would struggle to achieve or simply could not do. But then, there are things do-able on 8-key or even Baroque flute that a Boehm flute cannot emulate, so… horses for courses! Nicholson and his ilk were great virtuosi by any standards, and stretched the technique on the instrument, indeed driving the technological development of the instrument. Nicholson would doubtless have done that whatever era he had appeared in, just as e.g. Paganini did for the fiddle or Liszt for the piano. We poor ITM players are amazed not only by the abilities of Matt Molloy or Jean-Michel Veillon etc. but also (if we care to look/listen) by the top Boehm players like Jimmy Galway etc. or the top period fluters like Preston or Barthold Kuijken. All of these top-line players are blessed with extraordinary talent, but have also grafted very hard from young ages to acquire their level of virtuosity. They can do things the rest of us who haven’t done that level of work can only marvel at.
! Went to pieces at what he demanded of 'em. Sheer nonsense of course (on my part) but perhaps Jon is feeling sheepish about his spelling? Mind he doesn’t fleece you! Or perhaps (indulging in stereotypes) Terry might like to give the Oz view on shearing? (Sorry folks, I was working till 04:40 this morning, have just got up to watch the rugby and am feeling a bit woolly!)